Read in yesterday's paper that the world's oldest man had died. He was a Brit named Henry Allingham and he was 113 years old. Now that's old! But not as old as I was expecting the world's oldest man to be. No wonder the planet is so messed up in so many ways. We don't live long enough to get any real sense of the long term environmental, political and social consequences of our short term actions. But maybe we soon will!
In laboratories around the world, billions are being spent to unlock the secrets of living longer. Emerging research reveals we may be able to influence biological aging processes in positive ways, at the cellular level.
Many are talking about the miraculous ingredient in red grapes (and consequently red wine) called resveratrol. But apparently one would have to drink 100s of bottles of red wine a day to realize any noticeable benefits. But don't panic, scientists have already overcome this obstacle and have boosted the power of resveratrol a thousand fold and combined it with other anti-aging ingredients to impact the four key mechanisms of cellular aging.
I myself take such a tonic every day. It promises to fade my brown liver spots and make me feel 25 years younger and live 25 years longer. Some are saying that the oldest amongst us may, in the not so distant future, live to be 150. That's one band wagon I don't want to miss.
I'm not going to tout the product I take in this blog. I will say that it's clinically tested and that there is plenty of research to look over if you're interested. If you want to know what I take and where to get it give me a call at 514-624-5544.
Be well!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Thursday July 16
By now most people have heard that stress is very bad for them. There are countless anti-stress pills and potions from vitamin B-complex tablets, to zinc, biotin and folic acid on the market. And there is nothing wrong with any of these things especially where they are natural substances.
What I would like to get at today are some of the underlying reasons we have stress. Many of us are time-starved. We just don't have the time to do what is required of us in a relaxed easy going way. Add poor diet, inadequate sleep, demanding partners, and hyperactive children to the mix and you have the recipe for trouble. But there are still many people who manage all of the above and stay calm, cool and collected. What's the trick?
I believe the secret is not taking anything too seriously. If you do you'll invariably end up frustrated and frustration is a major stress builder. Frustrations appear when you lose your patience and your temper, ofter triggered when others don't see the obvious things that you do.
For example, for years I worked trying to rebuild the oyster population of Chesapeake Bay. Oysters filter water. I was part of a group of oyster farmers who grew oysters in the top waters of the Bay where the sunlight and algae is. Oysters can no longer survive on the bottom of Chesapeake Bay because there is 5 feet and more of partly decayed organic material on the bottom, where the oyster reefs should be by nature. The bottom sludge cannot decay any further because sunlight no longer penetrates the bottom habitat and there is no oxygen to promote decay.
50 years back the oyster population of Chesapeake Bay cleaned the entire water body every week or so. There were billions of them. Today there are fewer than 1% of the number needed to clean things up. The reason for the oyster's demise is largely overfishing by the Watermen. Overharvesting together with invasive practices like dragging and dredging.
The simple answer to this problem is to cultivate millions and billions of oysters in the top waters of the Bay until the top water gets clean enough for sunlight to penetrate the depths and finish the decay process needed to put things back like they were. The Japanese have cleaned up their waters with oysters. They made it a crime punishable with 20 years hard labour if a fishman is caught harvesting oysters from the natural reefs and they are now growing millions of bushels and billions of dollars worth of oysters and keeping their waters clean.
Did any of the "powers that be" around the Chesapeake Bay take a similar initiative? No! None! Other than the few small oyster farmers who comprise the Chesapeake Oyster Guild. The watermen have not been prohibited from harvesting oysters, and there are numerous government initiatives which continue to drop oysters to their death onto bottom reefs. Scientists, politicians, educators and watermen regularly meet to discuss how to fix a problem, the answer to which is staring them directly in the face. How frustrating is that to someone who knows the truth?
The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said something that I have come to live by and know to be true:
"For that person who knows, no explanation is necessary,
and for that person who doesn't, none is possible."
This observation just may be the reason that Budhists believe that the greatest action is inaction.
Leave it alone and don't frustrate yourself trying to show people who refuse to see, the way. Better to relax and chill out and let them awaken to the light of understanding at their own speed....or not!
Be well!
What I would like to get at today are some of the underlying reasons we have stress. Many of us are time-starved. We just don't have the time to do what is required of us in a relaxed easy going way. Add poor diet, inadequate sleep, demanding partners, and hyperactive children to the mix and you have the recipe for trouble. But there are still many people who manage all of the above and stay calm, cool and collected. What's the trick?
I believe the secret is not taking anything too seriously. If you do you'll invariably end up frustrated and frustration is a major stress builder. Frustrations appear when you lose your patience and your temper, ofter triggered when others don't see the obvious things that you do.
For example, for years I worked trying to rebuild the oyster population of Chesapeake Bay. Oysters filter water. I was part of a group of oyster farmers who grew oysters in the top waters of the Bay where the sunlight and algae is. Oysters can no longer survive on the bottom of Chesapeake Bay because there is 5 feet and more of partly decayed organic material on the bottom, where the oyster reefs should be by nature. The bottom sludge cannot decay any further because sunlight no longer penetrates the bottom habitat and there is no oxygen to promote decay.
50 years back the oyster population of Chesapeake Bay cleaned the entire water body every week or so. There were billions of them. Today there are fewer than 1% of the number needed to clean things up. The reason for the oyster's demise is largely overfishing by the Watermen. Overharvesting together with invasive practices like dragging and dredging.
The simple answer to this problem is to cultivate millions and billions of oysters in the top waters of the Bay until the top water gets clean enough for sunlight to penetrate the depths and finish the decay process needed to put things back like they were. The Japanese have cleaned up their waters with oysters. They made it a crime punishable with 20 years hard labour if a fishman is caught harvesting oysters from the natural reefs and they are now growing millions of bushels and billions of dollars worth of oysters and keeping their waters clean.
Did any of the "powers that be" around the Chesapeake Bay take a similar initiative? No! None! Other than the few small oyster farmers who comprise the Chesapeake Oyster Guild. The watermen have not been prohibited from harvesting oysters, and there are numerous government initiatives which continue to drop oysters to their death onto bottom reefs. Scientists, politicians, educators and watermen regularly meet to discuss how to fix a problem, the answer to which is staring them directly in the face. How frustrating is that to someone who knows the truth?
The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said something that I have come to live by and know to be true:
"For that person who knows, no explanation is necessary,
and for that person who doesn't, none is possible."
This observation just may be the reason that Budhists believe that the greatest action is inaction.
Leave it alone and don't frustrate yourself trying to show people who refuse to see, the way. Better to relax and chill out and let them awaken to the light of understanding at their own speed....or not!
Be well!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Tuesday July 14
Woke up today thinking about how important our emotions are to our overall health.
After 30 years of being married to the same woman my relationship fell apart 7 years ago. I remember being shocked and disconsolate and thinking the world had come to an end.
What saved me from oblivion was an article I had read years earlier about loving relationships. The article said that there was no real formula for a successful marriage or common law union and that some relationships were like the sun, long term and warm, while others were like shooting stars, brilliant light, white hot, for a short flash. Someone wiser than I said " Everyone knows when to start an affair, but few of us know when to end one."
One thing is for sure is that there is nothing quite like being in love. The rich and famous regularly change partners because they have the means to avoid the financial pitfalls that most couples fall into. Granted there are many rich and famous couples who stay together for their entire lives, but the majority change partners when the thrill is gone.
Money obligations including mortgages, shared expenses, and children become the reasons we stay together rather than the original physical, spiritual, or chemical attractions that drew us together in the first place. It's a real tragedy how many people stay together for all of the wrong reasons and forfeit true love in the exchange. Shakespeare rightly said that it's better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all.
I eventually found someone new to love. I still regularly see and talk to my children and grandchildren, who I love dearly. But I also have someone who makes my life the passionate affair I believe it's supposed to be. Being in love makes you well.
Be well!
After 30 years of being married to the same woman my relationship fell apart 7 years ago. I remember being shocked and disconsolate and thinking the world had come to an end.
What saved me from oblivion was an article I had read years earlier about loving relationships. The article said that there was no real formula for a successful marriage or common law union and that some relationships were like the sun, long term and warm, while others were like shooting stars, brilliant light, white hot, for a short flash. Someone wiser than I said " Everyone knows when to start an affair, but few of us know when to end one."
One thing is for sure is that there is nothing quite like being in love. The rich and famous regularly change partners because they have the means to avoid the financial pitfalls that most couples fall into. Granted there are many rich and famous couples who stay together for their entire lives, but the majority change partners when the thrill is gone.
Money obligations including mortgages, shared expenses, and children become the reasons we stay together rather than the original physical, spiritual, or chemical attractions that drew us together in the first place. It's a real tragedy how many people stay together for all of the wrong reasons and forfeit true love in the exchange. Shakespeare rightly said that it's better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all.
I eventually found someone new to love. I still regularly see and talk to my children and grandchildren, who I love dearly. But I also have someone who makes my life the passionate affair I believe it's supposed to be. Being in love makes you well.
Be well!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Monday July 13
Hello! Took the weekend off.
Spent most of Sunday preparing and cooking for my daughter's graduation party. Large barbecue, with lots of meat - mostly chicken.
This raises the whole tangled question of whether or not to eat meat, especially in the context of a blog on health and well being. I've settled the questions in my own mind. After years of being a vegetarian I now eat meat in balanced and moderate amounts. I'm also very fussy as to what meats I eat and where it comes from. I believe that Chinese philosopherLao Tzu was right when he said that the highest honour you can give a dead animal is to let it live on through your consumption of it. If I had to kill an animal, however, I would definitely be a vegetarian. I couldn't kill any living thing. If meat wasn't available on a styrofoam tray covered in plastic wrap I would probably just do without.
I've been accused of hypocracy in this regard based on the logic that if I and others like me didn't buy meat, then the industries that slaughter and package meat products would collapse. Perhaps! There are a tangle of moral and ethical issues involved. I, for example, don't eat baby animals such as veal or lamb. You have to make your own decisions on these matters. The rest of what I have to say today is based on the decision to eat meat.
If you are going to eat meat it should be from a healthy animal. Animals confined to cages, pens and stalls, that are fed chemical concoctions, and executed by automatic machinery do not fit my definition of healthy. There are options. Buy from Kosher shops and Halal stores. Jewish kosher meat comes from an animal that was butchered in an humane way by an individual person, not a machine. Halal meat is the Muslim equivalent.
More and more traditional grocery stores offer a range of free-range fowl. Chickens, turkeys, ducks, and other game hens that have been allowed to run free in a natural environment. Those tagged as "organic" have also not been fed growth hormones or chemical supplements of any kind. If you have made the decision to eat meat, make the decision to eat the best quality meat available.
All this talk of meat has reminded me of a joke.
Harold was in Calgary, Alberta, for the stampede and ran into Andrew, a friend he hadn't see in many years. Andrew invites Harold out to his ranch for the weekend. When Harold arrives on Saturday morning Andrew gives him a tour of the place. Acres of corn, barley, and flax, pastures full of cows and sheep, stalls filled with race horses and goats. As they are leaving the last big barn Harold can't help but notice a pen with huge pig in it. And damned if the pig doesn't have a wooden leg! "What's with the pig with the wooden leg?" asked Harry. "Oh! That's my superpig!" exclaimed Andy. "Two years ago I was out on the back 200 when the tractor I was driving ran out of control, turned over, and pinned me in a small stand of trees. I couldn't move. I thought I was doomed when out of nowhere comes my superpig. He throws his weight at the tractor and sets me free. He saved my life!"
"That's amazing!" said Harry.
"And that's not all!" Andy continued. "Last year, intoxicated, I fell asleep in the front room, in front of a raging fire. A spark from the fireplace set my bearskin rug ablaze and the house and I would have gone up in flames if not for my superpig. He smelled the fire, broke down the front door, and woke me up with his grunts and squeals! Saved my life a second time!"
"That's truly amazing!" replied Harry, adding.."but what's the peg leg all about?"
"Are you nuts?" said Andy. "You don't eat a pig that super all in one sitting!"
Be well!
Spent most of Sunday preparing and cooking for my daughter's graduation party. Large barbecue, with lots of meat - mostly chicken.
This raises the whole tangled question of whether or not to eat meat, especially in the context of a blog on health and well being. I've settled the questions in my own mind. After years of being a vegetarian I now eat meat in balanced and moderate amounts. I'm also very fussy as to what meats I eat and where it comes from. I believe that Chinese philosopherLao Tzu was right when he said that the highest honour you can give a dead animal is to let it live on through your consumption of it. If I had to kill an animal, however, I would definitely be a vegetarian. I couldn't kill any living thing. If meat wasn't available on a styrofoam tray covered in plastic wrap I would probably just do without.
I've been accused of hypocracy in this regard based on the logic that if I and others like me didn't buy meat, then the industries that slaughter and package meat products would collapse. Perhaps! There are a tangle of moral and ethical issues involved. I, for example, don't eat baby animals such as veal or lamb. You have to make your own decisions on these matters. The rest of what I have to say today is based on the decision to eat meat.
If you are going to eat meat it should be from a healthy animal. Animals confined to cages, pens and stalls, that are fed chemical concoctions, and executed by automatic machinery do not fit my definition of healthy. There are options. Buy from Kosher shops and Halal stores. Jewish kosher meat comes from an animal that was butchered in an humane way by an individual person, not a machine. Halal meat is the Muslim equivalent.
More and more traditional grocery stores offer a range of free-range fowl. Chickens, turkeys, ducks, and other game hens that have been allowed to run free in a natural environment. Those tagged as "organic" have also not been fed growth hormones or chemical supplements of any kind. If you have made the decision to eat meat, make the decision to eat the best quality meat available.
All this talk of meat has reminded me of a joke.
Harold was in Calgary, Alberta, for the stampede and ran into Andrew, a friend he hadn't see in many years. Andrew invites Harold out to his ranch for the weekend. When Harold arrives on Saturday morning Andrew gives him a tour of the place. Acres of corn, barley, and flax, pastures full of cows and sheep, stalls filled with race horses and goats. As they are leaving the last big barn Harold can't help but notice a pen with huge pig in it. And damned if the pig doesn't have a wooden leg! "What's with the pig with the wooden leg?" asked Harry. "Oh! That's my superpig!" exclaimed Andy. "Two years ago I was out on the back 200 when the tractor I was driving ran out of control, turned over, and pinned me in a small stand of trees. I couldn't move. I thought I was doomed when out of nowhere comes my superpig. He throws his weight at the tractor and sets me free. He saved my life!"
"That's amazing!" said Harry.
"And that's not all!" Andy continued. "Last year, intoxicated, I fell asleep in the front room, in front of a raging fire. A spark from the fireplace set my bearskin rug ablaze and the house and I would have gone up in flames if not for my superpig. He smelled the fire, broke down the front door, and woke me up with his grunts and squeals! Saved my life a second time!"
"That's truly amazing!" replied Harry, adding.."but what's the peg leg all about?"
"Are you nuts?" said Andy. "You don't eat a pig that super all in one sitting!"
Be well!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Friday July 10
"Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink."
This is the lament of sailors from a time when they had no fresh water on board their ships and were surrounded by salty seas.
The dreadful reality is that we're fast approaching a time when we will have little water anywhere and not a drop to drink, because of pollution and wasteful practices. There are already fresh water shortages in many parts of the world. There are predictions that wars will be waged over water in the very near future, just as they are now waged over oil. While these issues are bigger than most of us, we can still do our part to conserve water and to drink the purest cleanest water we can and appreciate what we have, especially in the western world.
Surprising numbers of people just don't drink water. Oceanographer Jacques Cousteau said "We forget the water cycle and the life cycle are one." Of course he was right. When I ask people how much water they drink I'm often told that they get their water in tea, or coffee, or juice, or from the melted ice in their vodka tonic. In our house we have a pitcher in the fridge that filters tap water and a water cooler in the kitchen that dispenses ice cold water on demand. We encourage the children in our family to drink water regularly and we adults drink 6 or 7 large glasses a day.
Two weeks ago we hired a company to cut down a tree in our front yard whose roots were threatening the foundation of our house. One of the workmen asked for a glass of water. I brought him one from our new filter pitcher, bragging "This will be the best water you've ever tasted!"
"Why?" he answered. "Does it have beer in it?"
Enough said! Laugh and be well!
This is the lament of sailors from a time when they had no fresh water on board their ships and were surrounded by salty seas.
The dreadful reality is that we're fast approaching a time when we will have little water anywhere and not a drop to drink, because of pollution and wasteful practices. There are already fresh water shortages in many parts of the world. There are predictions that wars will be waged over water in the very near future, just as they are now waged over oil. While these issues are bigger than most of us, we can still do our part to conserve water and to drink the purest cleanest water we can and appreciate what we have, especially in the western world.
Surprising numbers of people just don't drink water. Oceanographer Jacques Cousteau said "We forget the water cycle and the life cycle are one." Of course he was right. When I ask people how much water they drink I'm often told that they get their water in tea, or coffee, or juice, or from the melted ice in their vodka tonic. In our house we have a pitcher in the fridge that filters tap water and a water cooler in the kitchen that dispenses ice cold water on demand. We encourage the children in our family to drink water regularly and we adults drink 6 or 7 large glasses a day.
Two weeks ago we hired a company to cut down a tree in our front yard whose roots were threatening the foundation of our house. One of the workmen asked for a glass of water. I brought him one from our new filter pitcher, bragging "This will be the best water you've ever tasted!"
"Why?" he answered. "Does it have beer in it?"
Enough said! Laugh and be well!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Thursday July 09
Just walking the dog!
Many fitness experts can't say enough about walking. Most of us just don't engage in any serious amount of walking. One friend of mine says that he takes a long drive after a big meal. That about sums up the prevailing attitude towards walking. Why walk when you can ride?
The simple answer is that it's good for you. Walking is a low stress cardio-vascular workout that also works your muscles and joints from the hips down. My pal Tony recently began taking his dogs for a short walk every evening. The short walk has evolved into longer and longer walks, sometimes lasting hours and covering miles. He says he enjoys the sense of adventure as well as the feeling of well being. The walks are taking him far afield of home, often into rural wooded environments where he encounters raccoons, squirells, and a host of birds. He's also meeting some interesting people hiking the same trails that he is. At 62 he's as thin and strong and healthy as he was when he was in his twenties.
Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones in a 2008 interview in Rolling Stone magazine said that one of the most influential people in his life was his grandfather Gus Duprey. He would take young Keith for a walk and not come home for three days. They would visit friends, go to a violin shop and watch violins being made, sleep in the park, and have spontaneous and fun adventures. Such a large part of most of our lives is a boring, carbon copy of the day before, routine. Get out, breath, walk and see what you find. You may be surprized!
If the wonderful world of walking is not an option for you due to joint pain in your ankles, knees, or hips, take a look at the remarkable organic products for joint pain relief on my website: http://www.shaklee.net/freedomshack
Until next time. Be well!
Many fitness experts can't say enough about walking. Most of us just don't engage in any serious amount of walking. One friend of mine says that he takes a long drive after a big meal. That about sums up the prevailing attitude towards walking. Why walk when you can ride?
The simple answer is that it's good for you. Walking is a low stress cardio-vascular workout that also works your muscles and joints from the hips down. My pal Tony recently began taking his dogs for a short walk every evening. The short walk has evolved into longer and longer walks, sometimes lasting hours and covering miles. He says he enjoys the sense of adventure as well as the feeling of well being. The walks are taking him far afield of home, often into rural wooded environments where he encounters raccoons, squirells, and a host of birds. He's also meeting some interesting people hiking the same trails that he is. At 62 he's as thin and strong and healthy as he was when he was in his twenties.
Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones in a 2008 interview in Rolling Stone magazine said that one of the most influential people in his life was his grandfather Gus Duprey. He would take young Keith for a walk and not come home for three days. They would visit friends, go to a violin shop and watch violins being made, sleep in the park, and have spontaneous and fun adventures. Such a large part of most of our lives is a boring, carbon copy of the day before, routine. Get out, breath, walk and see what you find. You may be surprized!
If the wonderful world of walking is not an option for you due to joint pain in your ankles, knees, or hips, take a look at the remarkable organic products for joint pain relief on my website: http://www.shaklee.net/freedomshack
Until next time. Be well!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
July 08
"He was at death's door and the doctors were trying to pull him through". - W.C. Fields
Funny man W.C. Fields didn't like doctors any more than I do. I'm not sure why he despised them back in the 30s and 40s but he definitely did. I don't like doctors today because most of them have an unholy alliance with the pharmaceutical industry.
Certainly we need doctors for a general checkup or where surgery is required, but beyond that I don't use them. The multi-billion dollar parmaceutical industry now markets its drugs directly to the consumer. They now run full-page ads (with three pages of side effect disclaimers) in a host of major publications, and you - the end user - just go to your doctor, tell him what you want, and he gives you a prescription for it. Problem is, most ( if not all) of these drugs do not cure your illness. They mask your illness with a pain blocker and treat the symtoms rather than the cause of the problem. The potential side effects are many and often more extreme than the original ailment. I've seen disclaimers that include coma, death, liver failure, nausea, and dizziness all in the same sentence. Stay as far away from pharmaceutical products as you can. Find a natural alternative. There are amazing natural organic products that are readily available that will actually address the root problem of your illness and have no bad side effects.
I've got a whole bunch of fantastic organic products on my website. Take a peek at: http://www.shaklee.net/freedomshack
If you wake up in the morning feeling so bad you feel like calling your insurance company and telling them you're half dead and that you'd like half the money... look around! There are loads of options.
My brother Jeff was physically depleted a few years back. Feeling lower than a snail's trail in a wagon track he went to Montreal's China Town. There he asked people from the Chinese community who the best doctor was. The same name came up time and time again. He went to see that doctor, who made him a herbal tonic just for his use only. In very short order by brother was feeling like a new man. This shouldn't surprise anybody with reasonable intelligence. Chinese medical practitioners were studying and using natural remedies when the rest of us were running around with stone knives, wearing bear skins.
Be well!
Funny man W.C. Fields didn't like doctors any more than I do. I'm not sure why he despised them back in the 30s and 40s but he definitely did. I don't like doctors today because most of them have an unholy alliance with the pharmaceutical industry.
Certainly we need doctors for a general checkup or where surgery is required, but beyond that I don't use them. The multi-billion dollar parmaceutical industry now markets its drugs directly to the consumer. They now run full-page ads (with three pages of side effect disclaimers) in a host of major publications, and you - the end user - just go to your doctor, tell him what you want, and he gives you a prescription for it. Problem is, most ( if not all) of these drugs do not cure your illness. They mask your illness with a pain blocker and treat the symtoms rather than the cause of the problem. The potential side effects are many and often more extreme than the original ailment. I've seen disclaimers that include coma, death, liver failure, nausea, and dizziness all in the same sentence. Stay as far away from pharmaceutical products as you can. Find a natural alternative. There are amazing natural organic products that are readily available that will actually address the root problem of your illness and have no bad side effects.
I've got a whole bunch of fantastic organic products on my website. Take a peek at: http://www.shaklee.net/freedomshack
If you wake up in the morning feeling so bad you feel like calling your insurance company and telling them you're half dead and that you'd like half the money... look around! There are loads of options.
My brother Jeff was physically depleted a few years back. Feeling lower than a snail's trail in a wagon track he went to Montreal's China Town. There he asked people from the Chinese community who the best doctor was. The same name came up time and time again. He went to see that doctor, who made him a herbal tonic just for his use only. In very short order by brother was feeling like a new man. This shouldn't surprise anybody with reasonable intelligence. Chinese medical practitioners were studying and using natural remedies when the rest of us were running around with stone knives, wearing bear skins.
Be well!
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